Rowett: Reading are capable of hurting us

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett says Reading have players that are capable of hurting his side, but that they are prepared for the test.

Blues currently sit 19th in the Championship but have only lost one game in six since Rowett took over from Lee Clark in November.

And the former Cambridge, Derby and Charlton defender believes that the Royals will prove stern opposition, as the strugglers go looking for their third home win in five games.

"They've [Reading have] fluctuated from what I've seen,” explained the 40-year-old. “They've had some really good spells and some not so good spells.

“But they're in a reasonably good position and they're ahead of us in the league, so they've done quite a few things right. They've got a very good side and some very good players and we are aware of that.

“We know exactly where they can hurt us, but of course we'll also look at where we need to hurt them. As it has been for the last three or four seasons, the Championship this year is such a tight league.

“If you lose two or three on the spin you can drop down six or seven places. But, as we found out recently, if you can win two on the spin then you can certainly move up five or six places quite quickly."